Spiral binding



Feb. 14, 1939.

w. GRUMBACHER 2,147,369

SPIRAL BINDING Filed Aug. 18, 1936 Fig.1

Patented Feb. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES.

SPIRAL BINDING Walter Grumbacher, New York, N. Y., aeslgnor to Spiral Binding 00. Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 18, 1936, Serial No. 96,571

6 Claims.

My present invention relates generally to book binding and has particular reference to the binding of sheaves or stacks of paper or the like by means of a spiral binding element.

The present application constitutes a continuation in'part of my co-pending application Serial No. 656,994 filed February 16, 1933, and continuation in part of my co-pending application Serial No. 664,851 filed April '7, 1933, which has matured into Patent 2,051,477, August 18, 1936.

While I have herein illustrated and shall hereinafter describe my invention as applied to the binding of a stack of paper sheets, nevertheless it will be understood that as to certain phases thereof my invention may have other applications.

The general type of binding to which my invention relates has come to be known in the trade as spiral binding, and employs what has come to be known as a spiral binder. A binder of this character consists essentially of a spiral or helical binding wire or element, and it is engaged with the sheets of a stack or the like by providing the stack with at least one line of equally spaced perforations along one edge, the spacing between the perforations corresponding to the pitch of the spiral binder. This permits the binder to be threaded, turn by turn, into engagement with the perforations of the stack. This general type of binding has a number of far-reaching advantages which need not be elaborated upon as they will become clear as the details of my invention are described.

Among the general objects of my invention is the provision of an improved arrangement wherein the rotation of the binder after it has been associated with a stack, is limited to a predetermined amount, thereby efficiently locking the binder, either permanently or temporarily, in position.

Among the objects of my invention is also the provision of an arrangement whereby the sheets of the stack may turn freely in relation to a spiral binding element associated with a stack.

For the attainment of these objects and such other objects as may hereinafter appear or be pointed out I have illustrated several embodiments of my invention in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure l is a plan view of an assembly including the stack and a spiral binding element and illustrates the application of my invention thereto;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a portion of a stack with a spiral binding element applied thereto and illustrates a modified form of my invention;

Figures 3 and 4 are a plan and end view re-,

spectively of a portion of a stack and spiral element assembly, and illustrate a further modification; and

Figures 5 and 6 are views similar to Figures 3 and 4 but illustrate another modified form.

When spiral binding elements are associated with stacks of sheets having perforations therein the difiiculty is often encountered that when it is attempted to separate or spread the sheets of the stack by pivoting them about the spiral binding element, contacting parts of the sheets and the binding element are apt to bind or catch and prevent their free relative movement. This is particularly true where the ends of the spiral binding element are deformed or crimped, or where they have extraneous members attached thereto in order to prevent withdrawal of the spiral element from the stack or to limit the rotation thereof. In such a construction the said deformed portions or extraneous members are particularly apt to prevent free relative movement of the binding element and sheets.

In Figure 1 I have illustrated one way of overcoming the aforementioned difliculty. In this figure is shown a stack 15 having perforations 16 therein, and a spiral binding element 18 threaded through the perforations 16. I have further shown the spiral element as having its ends extending beyond the stack at both sides thereof, and as provided with crimped portions '11 that serve to limit rotation of the binding element in relation to the stack so as to prevent withdrawal of the stack. By positioning said crimped portions on said ends of the spiral element extending beyond the stack so that said portions are located beyond the confines of the stack, as clearly shown in Figure 1, they will not interfere with the movement of the sheets of the stack about the binding element, and consequently the sheets may move freely about said element.

In the modified construction shown in Figure 2 the corner portions of the stack 9| have rectangular portions 88 cut away therefrom so that the crimped portions 89 of the spiral binding element 90 are accommodated within the recesses resulting from removal of said portions while at the same time being located beyond the confines of the stack. This has the advantage over the form of Figure 1 in that the crimped portions 88 do not extend beyond the normal rectangular contour of the stack 9| and therefore are more or less protected against damage by catching on extraneous objects when the stack is moved about. At the same time this construction offers ad the advantages of that disclosed in connection with Figure 1.

In Figure 3 is shown a construction similar to Figure 2 in that the stack 28 has its corner portions of its edge 3i cut away as shown at 12 so as to accommodate the crimped ends 33 on the projecting portions of the spiral 30 that passes through the perforations 29 of the stack. Instead of the rectangular cut-away portion 88 of Figure 2, however, the cut-away portions of Figure 3 are shown as triangular.

In this embodiment it will be observed that the crimping of the ends is accomplished by bending them out of the line of the helix.

In Figures 5 and 6 I have shown a stack 4i having perforations adjacent the edge 40 thereof, and having a spiral binding element 42 threaded through said perforations. In this modification also, the ends of the spiral binding element 42 extend beyond the lateral edges 43 of the stack. This construction resembles Figure 1 in that that stack is rectangular in contour without having its cornerscut away as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The ends 44 of the binding element 42 are conditioned in substantially the same manner as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, that is by crimping, except that they are deflected further along the longitudinal or axial direction of the spiral element.

In general, it will be understood that the ramiflcations of my invention are considerable in number, and that the illustrations and descriptions herein contained are obviously given in large measure merely for the purpose of illustration. It will be understood that changes in the details herein described and illustrated, for

the purpose of explaining the nature of my invention, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. It is therefore intended that these details be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In combination, a stack of sheets having uniformly spaced perforations formed adjacent one edge thereof, and a spiral binding element in threaded engagement with said perforations, said element being of such length that it will extend axially beyond the perforations in the stack and a terminal portion of said element being deformed out of its spiral path so as to prevent its passage through said perforations,

said deformed portion being positioned on that portion of the spiral that extends axially beyond the confines of said stack.

2. In combination, a stack of sheets having uniformly spaced perforations formed adjacent one edge thereof, and a spiral binding element in threaded engagement with said perforations, said element having an end portion thereof extending axially beyond the perforations in the stack and said extending end portion of said element being deformed out of its spiral path so as to prevent its passage through said perforations, said deformed portion being positioned, in the-direction of the spiral axis, beyond the confines of said stack.

3. In combination, a stack of sheets having uniformly spaced perforations formed adjacent one edge thereof, and a spiral binding element in threaded engagement with said perforations, said element being of such length that it will extend beyond the perforations in the stack and both terminal portions of said element being deformed out of their spiral path so as to prevent their passage through said perforations, said deformed portions lying beyond the confines of the stack considered in the direction of the spiral axis.

4. In combination, a stack of sheets having uniformly spaced perforations formed adjacent one edge thereof and a corner portion of said stack at a terminal of said edge being cut away so as to form a recess and a spiral binding element in threaded engagement with said perforations, said element being of such length that it will extend beyond the perforations in the stack and into said recess and a terminal portion of said element being deformed out of its spiral path so as to prevent its passage through said perforations, and-said deformed terminal portion being positioned within said recess.

5. In combination, a stack of sheets having uniformly spaced perforations formed adjacent one edge thereof and a corner portion of said stack at a terminal of said edge being cut away so as to form a recess and a spiral binding element in threaded engagement with said perforations, said element being of such length that it will extend beyond the perforations in the stack and into said recess and a terminal portion of said element being provided with means to prevent its passage through said perforations, and said deformed terminal portion being positioned within said recess."

6. In combination, a stack of sheets having uniformly spaced perforations formed adjacent one edge thereof, and a spiral binding element in threaded engagement with said perforations, said elementbeing of such length that it will extend axially beyond the perforations in the stack and a terminal portion of said element being deformed out of'its normal spiral contour inwardly toward the axis of said spiral so as to prevent its passage through said perforations and said deformed portion being positioned beyond the limits of the stack in an axial direction.

WALTER GRUMBACHER. 

